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> I don't know what the right solution is. This is a bit of a wild theory, which I definitely can't prove, but I am tempted to blame part of it on "zero tolera
by adrianmonk 7y ago
> I don't know what the right solution is.
This is a bit of a wild theory, which I definitely can't prove, but I am tempted to blame part of it on "zero tolerance" schools.
Schools are meant to teach the material, but they're also meant to give students practice at working within a social framework. Being on time, speaking in turn, keeping track of assignments, relating to peers, etc.
People have a lot of opinions on that, but the point is, it's reality. Kids are definitely picking up from schools an idea of what is normal when it comes to how social groups work.
Before zero tolerance, when someone did something wrong, the normal way to handle it was to try to understand both sides, then exercise the discretion given to people in a position of authority, then make a judgment call that seemed fair, reasonable, and proportionate. But now the normal way to handle situations is to more or less unconditionally penalize the offender without any leeway being given.
So now we have a whole generation or so of people who grew up having that style of authority modeled for them. When it comes time for them to exercise authority, what are they going to do but what they learned by example?
If this wild theory is right, then a (long-term) answer is for schools to stop teaching our kids that this is how society should work.
- zozbot234 7y agoAuthoritarianism in schools is very old; it definitely didn't begin with what are now called "zero tolerance" policies. I'm pretty sure we would have noticed if attending an authoritarian school gave you an authoritarian personality style, especially given the interest in the latter in post-WW2 psych studies.
- catalogia 7y ago> I'm pretty sure we would have noticed if attending an authoritarian school gave you an authoritarian personality style Wasn't it noticed though? Paddling students fell out of favor decades ago, in no small part I suspect because people began to realize that hitting kids wasn't teaching kids how to resolve conflicts effectively. The status quo before 'zero tolerance' was itself a radical departure from what came before it.
- cookiecaper 7y agoThe problem is exactly the opposite of authoritarianism. People don't believe that any person can be trusted with authority, so it was all transferred into the dead letter of a massively generalized district-wide policy which, of course, says "anything bad is bad and should be punished". Administrators and teachers have very little leeway to ascertain circumstances, utilize context, or employ personal judgment. They feel obliged to follow the letter of the policy because they have no authority. A little more "authoritarianism" -- trust that the authorities positioned to ascertain the facts will do so competently and shouldn't be trivially second-guessed -- would probably help a lot.